How to install Windows 10 in a virtual machine

How to install Windows 10 in a virtual machine

Windows 10 is slated for retail release sometime later this year, but why wait for that? Anyone can sign-up right now for the Windows Insider program, and get a taste of what Windows 10 has to offer. Of course, pre-release builds should never be used as your primary operating system, so today I’ll walk you through how to run the Windows 10 Technical Preview in a virtual machine. First off, I’ll show you how to install it in Oracle’s VirtualBox. And on the next page, you’ll get the step-by-step process for using VMware Player.

VirtualBox installation

1. Download the Windows 10 ISO

First off, head over to the Windows Insider site, and sign up. Once you’ve agree to the terms of service, proceed to the download page, and pick which disc image you want to download. For the purposes of this walkthrough, I’m using the 64-bit English ISO, but go with whatever works for your set-up.

2. Create a new virtual machine

Go to the VirtualBox website, and download the latest version of Oracle’s free, open source software. Go through the installation process, and then launch the application. Press the “New” button, and name your virtual machine. Make sure your “Type” is set to “Microsoft Windows,” and your “Version” is set to “Windows 10.” Just make sure you match the x64 version with a 64-bit VM, and the x86 version with a 32-bit VM.

3. Allocate RAM

Now, you need to decide how much RAM you want to allocate for this VM. For the x86 version, you’ll need at least 1GB of RAM. For the x64 version, you’ll need 2GB. I have 16GB of RAM in my desktop, so I decided that 4GB was right for my configuration. Whatever you decide, just make sure you stay in the green. If you allocate too much RAM, you’ll end up with serious performance issues.

4. Create a virtual drive

Next, you need to create a virtual drive. Microsoft says that 16GB is the minimum space needed for the OS, so VirtualBox defaults to twice that size. I decided on a 50GB virtual drive on my desktop, but feel free to make it as large as you need. Just be sure that you have enough space on your actual hard drive to handle the size of your virtual drive.

5. Locate the Windows 10 ISO

Now, go into the settings for this virtual machine, and navigate to the “Storage” tab. Click the disc icon with a green plus next to “Controller: IDE.” Click “Choose disk,” and then locate the Windows 10 ISO you downloaded earlier.

6. Configure video settings

Before you jump in and start installing Windows 10, move over to the “Display” tab. You can configure how much video memory you’re willing to allocate to the virtual machine, but make sure you stay in the green. You can also toggle on 3D and 2D acceleration in hopes of better performance, but the VirtualBox user manual lists them as experimental, so it’s possible that you may run into some quirks.

7. Launch the installer

With all of that setup finished, press the “Start” button in VirtualBox, and begin the Windows 10 installation process. Follow the instructions on the screen, and you’re well on your way. You’ll eventually be prompted for your credentials, so provide your Live.com username and password. This is how you’ll log into your account in Windows 10.

8. Install VirtualBox guest additions

Once you’re at the Windows 10 desktop, you’ll need to install all of the proper drivers for VirtualBox. In the VirtualBox UI, go to “Devices,” and then select “Insert Guest Additions CD image.” Navigate to that disc image in Windows Explorer, and run the installer. Once you’ve gone through the entire process, you’ll need to reboot the VM.

9. You’re ready to rock

Back at the desktop, you can finally use full-screen mode at the proper resolution. In the VirtualBox menu, go to “View,” and select “Switch to Fullscreen.” For the most part, this is now the same experience you’d have running it natively. Enjoy yourself, and feel free to poke around all the new features.